Traveling Vietnam Wall Monument Arrives At Chaffee Crossing

Wednesday

For some, the replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial displayed at Chaffee Crossing this week evokes personal memories.

For some, the replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial displayed at Chaffee Crossing this week evokes personal memories.

“It is especially important to Vietnam veterans. A lot of them are still in the healing process, and visiting the wall is one way they can heal,” said Ivy Owen, director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority.

For many not yet born when American weapons fell silent in that southeast Asian nation nearly four decades ago, the stark monument still commands respect.

In a display of that respect, members of Northside High School’s Junior ROTC program helped erect the traveling memorial Tuesday.

Thirty-five students unloaded and assembled the structure under the guidance of local Vietnam Veterans of America members and other volunteers as Lt. Col. Earl Massey, commandant of the Northside JROTC unit, looked on.

“This is the fifth time we’ve done this,” Massey said, explaining that Fort Smith JROTC students have traditionally helped put the memorial up while Van Buren JROTC students assist in taking it down and loading it for delivery to its next destination. The traveling wall was last in Fort Smith in 2008.

The 8-foot by 240-foot replica of the Washington, D.C., monument will be on display today through Sunday along Veterans Boulevard near Zero Street in Chaffee Crossing. Under the supervision of volunteers, it will be open 24 hours a day and is free of charge.

The three-quarter-scale faux granite replica is engraved with more than 58,000 names of veterans who died or were reporting missing during the Vietnam War.

Massey served two tours of duty in Vietnam. The names of his comrades are on the wall. He said he works to ensure his students understand the significance of the memorial and what it stands for.

“I try to make it real to them,” he said, translating for those two generations removed from the conflict the names into men and women who gave their lives for their country. Through rubbings he has made from the original monument, a book bearing the names of those listed and by sharing his own experiences, he hopes to help them better understand the meaning of their sacrifice.

He said the memorial also helps deliver that message.

“They sometimes get more out of it than you would think,” Massey said. He said it is not unusual to see a student break down as he or she is putting the monument together. Others, more reserved, may not say anything right away. “But later they will ask about it,” he said.

Several students stopped in their work Tuesday and commented on the task.

“It’s good to help out,” said Darron Massey. He said his personal association with the war came through memories of his grandfather who served in Vietnam and lost several friends there.

“We should show respect for those who left us with what we have today,” said Daisy Garcia. “Some people take it for granted.”

Robert Dunn said the memorial holds personal significance for him. The son of a Vietnam veteran and grandson of a man who served in Korea, he said he is “supportive of anything I can do” to honor their work.

Michael Dotson said assembling the memorial “has a lot to do with honoring the memory of those who died for us.” He said those who earned a spot on the wall have shown “honor isn’t valued in what you own, but in what you do.”

Opening ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m. today in front of the wall; the ceremony will include guest speakers, vocal performances and lighting of the Eternal Flame to honor P.O.W./M.I.A. veterans, which will burn for the duration of the wall display.

Vietnamese veterans who fought for Vietnam’s freedom from communism will hold a commemoration of the 38th anniversary of Black April — April 30, 1975 — at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 467 House in Chaffee Crossing, 12112 Redwood Drive in Fort Smith.

Closing ceremonies will be held in front of the wall at 3 p.m. Sunday; guest speaker is Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, an Army combat veteran. The ceremony will also include reading of the names of residents from six area counties whose names are on the wall.

The wall display is made possible by efforts of Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, Edwards Funeral Home, a Dignity Memorial provider, APAC, Blake Construction, Mike Morris Construction and the members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 467.

This will be the second-to-last stop before the wall is taken off the road and moved to Fort Benning, Ga., where it will be displayed for the next five years. Owen said the Redevelopment Authority has submitted a bid for permanent installation of the wall after that.

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